Mechanical toy



1-. MIN-IRA.

MECHANICAL TOY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15,1921.

I 1,389,372. Patented A g. 30, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Ill 1. MITE RA.

MECHANICAL TOY. APPLICATION FILED JAN.1.5,192I.

Patented Au 30, 1921.

, 2 SHEE TS-SHEET 2. 9 W x 16 1 44 9 w 7 IV I /1H\ Nun! UNITED STATES JOSEPH MITERA, or PLAINFIELD, NEWJERSEY.

MEGHANICAL .TQY.

Specification of Iietters fatent.

Patented Au 30, 1921.

Application filed January 15, 1921. Serial No. 437,402.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MITERA, a citizen of Poland, residing at Plainfield, in the county of MiddleseX and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Toys, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is the provision of a mechanical toy providing a number of dancing couples upon a platform which may be conveniently carried from place to place, and which may be regulated to start and stop at the will of the operator.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the description below, in which like-named characters of reference refer to like-named parts in the drawings.

Referring briefly to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the device, parts being broken away to disclose the construction.

F ig. 2 is an elevational view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line '33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of the actuating spring used in the device.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional vlew of the ratchet and wheel the section being taken on line 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents the base of the device,

supported upon legs 2, and having a cylin-v drical casing 3 mounted thereon. A key 4, on the outside of the casing, is screwed upon the end of a horizontal shaft 5 having support in bearings 6. The shaft passes through a casing 7 supported by the base 1 and contains a coiled spring 8, the inner end of which is secured to the shaft and the outer end to the casing. A ratchet 9 is fixed to the shaft near its end, and a gear 10 is rotatably mounted upon the extremity of the shaft. A pawl 11 pivoted on the gear is urged-by a spring 12 into engagement with the ratchet 9.

A sleeve 13 is rotatably mounted circumjacent a vertical shaft 30 fixed in the base, and a bevel gear 31 rigid on the sleeve 1s in engagement with the gear 10. A spur gear 14 is carried by the sleeve 13, at its upper end and a stem extends upward therefrom v through the platform 15 and a small cir cular platform 16 is rigidly secured upon same in released position.

exhausted, the member 24 is the upper end of the sleeve 13 above the gear 14 and platform 15.

Additional sleeves 17 provided with gears 18 similar to the gear 14, but of smaller diameter, and with platforms 19 similar to the platform 16, are provided in spaced relation concentrically, the gear 14 being in mesh with gears 18 and acting as a prime mover for them.

A horizontal shaft 23 is slidably mounted in supports 26 and 28 adjacent the underside of the platform 15', and is provided with a lug 22 extending upward through the platform 15. A cam-shaped member 24 is pivotally mounted at 25 on the platform adjacent the lug 22, and a coiled to be engaged by the extremity of the shaft spring 27, surrounding the shaft 23 between I 28.-- Upon each of the platforms 16'and' 19 is rigidly mounted a miniature dancing couple.

The operation of the device is now appar- I ent. Upon turning of the key 4 in a clockwise direction, the spring 8 will be wound up in the usual manner. During the winding up the shaft 23 lies in engagement with a recess 20, thus preventing turning of the gear 14 and therefore of the entire gear mechanism. After the spring has been wound up, the member 24 is moved outwardly its cam-like edge moving the lug 22, and causing the shaft 23, to be drawn out of engagement with the recess 20, and the mechanism begins to turn. By forcing the member 24 far enough toward the center the same may be wedged between the lug' 22 and its pivot 25, thus retaining the To stop the mechanism before the spring has become freed from its retention whereupon the spring 27 draws the shaft into engagement with a recess 20. As is apparent, in operation all of the couples rotate about their own axes in addition to revolving about the center.

I claim:

A mechanical toy comprising a circular casing, a spring actuated clock work mechanism therein, a central vertical sleeve driven thereby, a plurality of like sleeves spaced concentric therewith, said concentric sleeves being geared to the central sleeve, figural couples carried by all of said sleeves above said casing, a rod slidable in said casing, one end of said rod being engage-a able 1n recesses 1n sa1d central sleeve, means for normally causin such engagement, a

lug on said rod pro ecting above said cas- 10 ing, and a manually operable cam pivoted on said casingadapted to engage said lug to Withdraw it from the mentioned recesses thereby permitting rotation of said couples.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature. 15

JOSEPH MITERA. 

